Chapter 45: A Midnight Conversation

"Hahaha, how have you been, Hero Yan? I'm merely showing my sincerity first!" Bai Yichen said with a bow.

He hadn't come unprepared. After returning from his conversation with Yunshou Zhenren about the Yukun Mountain matter, Bai Yichen had inquired about Yanbei's deeds.

After all, Yunshou Zhenren had invited Yanbei to assist in the fight that day, indicating he knew him better than most.

Indeed, Yunshou Zhenren did not disappoint, providing Bai Yichen with more detailed information about Yanbei.

Just as the rumors in the martial world said, Yanbei was a man of integrity and chivalry, with both courage and loyalty. His assistance that day was due to a past debt of gratitude.

The Dinong Hall, under his leadership, was a rising force within the righteous sects of the martial world, known for frequently eliminating mountain bandits and maintaining peace.

Of course, external appearances can be deceiving, as the saying goes: judge by deeds, not by hearts, for no one is perfect.

All Bai Yichen needed to know was that Yanbei acted with principle and was someone he could cooperate with.

Clearing his thoughts, Bai Yichen continued, "The purpose of inviting Hero Yan here is to discuss a collaboration!"

"Oh? Then I must listen carefully," Yanbei replied with a broad smile, feigning a posture of rapt attention.

Bai Yichen smiled mysteriously and took out a purple-gold token and a snake-headed mask, tossing them over to Yanbei.

"First, take a look at these two items!"

Yanbei caught them with one hand, his gaze immediately drawn to the king cobra mask, momentarily ignoring the token.

After a lengthy silence, Yanbei seemed to snap back to reality and said, "Brother Shaochong, I suddenly feel there's a nickname that suits you quite well."

Bai Yichen was taken aback by this comment, unsure why the conversation had shifted to nicknames.

Seeing Bai Yichen's curiosity piqued, Yanbei decided to tease him further, saying, "What do you think of 'The Zodiac Extinguisher'?"

Bai Yichen's eyes flashed with some embarrassment, but he quickly chuckled and replied, "As a member of the Zodiac, how could I extinguish myself? It's all about restoring order, isn't that just in line with what Hero Yan... Brother said that day?"

Upon hearing this, Yanbei scrutinized Bai Yichen again, seemingly surprised that Xuanzhen Temple had produced such a character. Is he really only sixteen years old?

Bai Yichen gestured for Yanbei to examine the token.

Soon, a glint of realization flashed in Yanbei's eyes as he asked, "Is this token also owned by the owner of the snake mask?"

"That's correct," Bai Yichen confirmed without hesitation.

"So it really is him!" Yanbei's face showed a look of understanding.

"Did you figure out who the owners of these two items are?" Bai Yichen probed.

"It must be Heishi's chief assassin, Heilin, right? He is also the Zodiac's Snake, isn't he?" Yanbei's gaze was fixed intently on Bai Yichen, waiting for his final confirmation.

Bai Yichen's expression was enigmatic as he replied, "Indeed, it is Heilin. It seems Brother Yan had already suspected it."

However, after hearing this, Yanbei displayed a wry smile and said, "So, about that competition the other day, it seems Brother Shaochong held back quite a bit?"

Bai Yichen couldn't admit that, since he had ultimately succeeded in defeating Heilin largely due to the advantage of his techniques.

He quickly deflected, stating that it was all due to strategy.

Seeing that Bai Yichen didn't want to elaborate further, Yanbei dropped the subject and changed his tone, saying, "In the martial world, there are only a few innate masters who use sword techniques, and each has their unique style."

"I have encountered the Snake several times among the Zodiac and have seen him strike on a few occasions. When he fought against me and Yunshou Zhenren at Xuanzhen Temple that day, I began to have my suspicions."

Yanbei then shook the token again before returning both the token and the mask to Bai Yichen.

"Additionally, when I killed Granny Wen that day, a token similar in material fell from her, which I retrieved. So, seeing the sword on this token only confirmed my suspicions further."

Bai Yichen understood; at that time, he had been fully focused on countering Granny Wen's parting strike, unable to pay attention to such details.

After a while, Bai Yichen saw that Yanbei had fully processed this information, so he finally spoke about the collaboration.

"I think, after learning the identity of the Snake, Brother Yan must have some guesses about the identity of the Goat as well."

"In fact, I came here today not only to share information about the Snake but also to invite you to help me eliminate the Heishi organization!"

Yanbei did not deny it but instead expressed his views directly: "That's true. Given the circumstances, the true identity of the Goat is highly likely to be the elusive leader of the Heishi organization, the Wheel King."

However, he then asked, "Have you found the hidden core base of Heishi, or do you know the true identity of the Wheel King?"

After all, in normal circumstances, to kill the leader of a secret organization, the first step is to know where he is located.

"Neither, but I know exactly where he will go," Bai Yichen replied with a calm smile.

He then recounted all the events he had experienced previously and how, based on these clues, he deduced Heishi's next move, weaving it all into a coherent narrative for Yanbei.

The clouds slowly shifted, and the moonlight gradually changed, becoming as bright as a silver disk.

After hearing Bai Yichen's explanation, Yanbei nodded in agreement and said, "So that's how it is. It seems the Wheel King is indeed likely to act this way."

"Based on my and the Abbot's deductions, the Heishi organization's goal should be the treasure of the Ming Sect. They have likely collected a good number of fragments of the treasure maps, leaving only the last one or two pieces remaining. Apart from the one I obtained, perhaps only the piece from Yukun Mountain is left." Bai Yichen shared his thoughts.

"In that case, everything makes sense. You probably don't know that a message has come from the Zodiac stating that all members are to gather at the foot of Yukun Mountain after the twentieth day to discuss major plans," Yanbei added after some contemplation.

"Furthermore, the Goat specifically requested that you, the Qingzi, must attend. They said since you didn't participate in the previous gathering, now that you have emerged from your retreat, you must attend."

Bai Yichen frowned slightly and replied, "It really is as I suspected; the Wheel King likely wants to unite the strength of both organizations to seize the treasure map. Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible for Heishi to accomplish this with their current strength."

"However, for them to specifically want me to go... That makes sense. The original Chou Niu was indeed a member of Heishi, and the Wheel King naturally knows he is dead."

"After all, with the death of Shen Hou, there are two main possibilities for the treasure map fragment being taken: either someone from Yukun Mountain made a move or it was taken by me, the suddenly emerging Qingzi. If the fragment is indeed with me, it would kill two birds with one stone."